Graphic Video: Bowhunter Falls 22 Feet from Treestand

Back in 1993, Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine conducted the first survey on tree-stand safety in North America. This ground-breaking study revealed that 1 in 3 hunters had fallen from a tree at some point in their lives. It not only underscored the stark reality of hunting from high places, it changed the way tree stands were made and improved safety efforts.

Now 20 years later, hunters are overall more safety conscious when hunting and scouting. However, falls still happen — even when hunters take all the necessary precautions. This is highly evident in the following GRAPHIC video clip posted online.

If you want to learn how to prevent falls, be sure to read everything you can about your tree stand, your safety equipment, and proper hunting procedures.

Although we can’t be 100 percent safe when hunting from above, we can do a lot to make sure we come home safe. Here are 5 tips for staying safe:

I would like to know more about how this accident happened. Without more info, it is a bit difficult to learn a lesson from this man’s experience. He says in the video that his safety harness broke. Was it an old harness? Did he exceed it’s weight limit (he doesn ‘t look that big)? Was he hanging the stand or was he standing on it and it collapsed? Also, more prurient questions like: how did his scalp get damaged? Did he hit the stand, his bow, an arrow, or a sharp stick on the ground? It sounded like he had a compound fracture when the ambulance was coming and couldn’t walk but then the vid showed him walking out to the ambulance. A bit more of the story would be interesting and beneficial to those of us who like hanging around up in trees SAFELY.